A genetic defect present in many colorectal tumors can also occur in healthy colon or rectal tissues, a new study finds. This suggests that the defect could play a role in the cancer’s origins and thus could become part of a screening test for identifying people at risk of developing colorectal cancer.
Past research has shown that the gene for O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), a protein with tumor-suppressing properties, is silenced in many colorectal tumors.
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